Why Be an ETEAM Leader?

We’ll Never Be the Same Again

By Tim & Kristi Johnson (ETEAM Leaders to Spain 2022)

This past summer we embarked on a journey we’ve never taken before. Yes, we’ve hosted ETEAMS and organized their ministry opportunities while they were in Spain. We’ve cooked in Spanish kitchens.  We’ve driven stick shift vans in Spain.  And we’ve traveled to Spain many times. But this journey was very different for us. This time, we were the ETEAM leaders.

We had the privilege of meeting our team when they arrived on the campus of Welch College. We watched as their parents brought them in and asked us to “take good care of their children” and then said the hard goodbyes as they left their precious ones in our care. It was a privilege to know that parents trusted us to take their children to the other side of the world.

Our journey continued during training week. We truly got to know our students’ personalities, their passions, and…yes, their quirkiness. We watched as they bravely took on the tasks of learning songs in an unfamiliar language, eating foods they’d never tried, and packing suitcases for international travel.

The journey with our ETEAM into a new culture was also an adventure. They made opportunities happen to meet new people everywhere they went. They purposefully put themselves in uncomfortable situations just so they could spend time with young people. They were true students of Spanish culture. And they came out better because of this adventure.

But, so did we. While we’d done most of the things before, it was brand new as we saw Spain through the eyes of our ETEAMers. Our love for Spain and its people was rekindled. Our excitement about learning new words in Spanish was brought back. Our zeal for cultural events (like bullfights) was stirred up. And our sadness for those who still worship in dark places was brought to the forefront of our minds.

That’s what ETEAM did for us…it gave us a chance to see Spain through different eyes. Eyes that were intrigued by what they saw, heard, smelled, and touched. So, thank you ETEAM Spain, for taking US on a journey we’ve never been on. We’ll never be the same again!

The Johnsons recently entered into a new season serving in the States after 25 years of being IM missionaries in Spain. Tim Johnson is the Program Coordinator and Instructor of Intercultural Studies at Welch College and Kristi Johnson is the Development Communications Manager at the IM office.